The Braves’ early-season woes are no secret. At 3-9 and sitting at the bottom of the NL East—five games behind the Mets and Phillies—they’ve dug themselves into an early hole. Their 0-7 road record isn’t helping either, and they’ll need to reverse that trend quickly before things spiral further.
But there’s finally some good news out of Atlanta: Spencer Strider is nearing a return.
After missing nearly all of 2024 with a UCL injury, Strider is making serious strides in his rehab. He’s now made three starts in Triple-A Gwinnett, and his latest was dominant—striking out 13 of the 21 batters he faced over 5 1/3 innings while allowing just one earned run on 90 pitches. It’s been a year since he underwent a brace procedure to heal his partially torn UCL without needing Tommy John surgery, and all signs now point to him being ready.
“He’s right where we want him to be before he gets here,” manager Brian Snitker said, noting that the team will monitor how Strider feels post-outing before making the final call.
Strider’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Outside of rookie sensation Spencer Schwellenbach—who owns a 0.45 ERA through 20 innings—Atlanta’s rotation is floundering. Grant Holmes has been decent but is walking eight batters per nine innings. Chris Sale, last year’s NL Cy Young winner, has posted a rough 6.75 ERA in his first three starts. Bryce Elder was hit hard in his lone appearance, and AJ Smith-Shawver continues to struggle with command.
While Strider alone won’t fix the rotation’s deeper issues, he offers a reliable, high-ceiling arm to stabilize things while the rest of the staff works through their struggles. The Braves need a spark—and Strider might be just the one to provide it.
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